Handshake

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT HANDSHAKE - PAGE 4

Dear Abby: Your letter concerning handshakes and what they signified interested me. I am retired, after spending 37 years with a well-known public-relations firm for whom I traveled around the country to set up press conferences for major events. In doing so, I worked with Dwight Eisenhower when he was campaigning in Denver for his second term as president. There were other celebrities I met personally, and whose hands I shook. One was Richard Nixon when he was campaigning in Houston.

Q-In these days of caution and the need to prevent diseases before they occur, what do you think of the tradition of handshaking all around during Sunday church services? You know there are people who are ill, with all the coughing and sneezing going on. How can I combat the chances of catching someone else's illness? A-I certainly found your concern understandable and reasonable. I doubt that you can refuse the handshake of fellowship during a service, so let's look at some of the things you might do. First, keep your own hands away from your eyes, and if you feel the need to blow your nose, use your own handkerchief or tissues.

By What follows are excerpts from the English translation of Russian president Boris Yeltsin`s address Thursday at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kan | June 21, 1992

Let me tell you this: Over the past two days we have accomplished something that in the past it would have taken dozens of years to accomplish. Just think that it had taken us about 15 years to negotiate 33 percent reductions in our strategic offensive arms. And it took President Bush and myself just five months and two days to agree on a drastic reduction in nuclear weaponry by a factor of three, thereby dispelling whatever doubts, or whatever misgivings, we might have with regard to the future of civilization.

Jay Leno says that he has agreed to a new contract with NBC that will extend his tenure as host of the network's "Tonight" show for another five years. The deal marks the third five-year contract Leno has signed to serve as host of television's oldest late-night show. He had a year remaining on his current deal. Leno succeeded Johnny Carson in 1992. After a period when he trailed his late-night rival on CBS, David Letterman, Leno has been the consistent leader in late-night shows, and his ratings have increased this year over last.

What is the No. 1 etiquette dilemma for businesswomen? Consultant Barbara Pachter says the "most glaring, awkward and confusing" issue is how to shake hands. "The handshake has huge consequences for women," says Pachter, who is based in Cherry Hill, N.J. "It's the standard greeting in the U.S. and is key to presenting yourself well. " Confusion can arise in a business setting because people sometimes cling to social rules. For example, a woman might feel snubbed if a man doesn't extend his hand during an introduction, so she decides not to offer hers.

Q. We listed our rental on Craigslist, which listed key terms, including a provision that the pet and cleaning deposits were nonrefundable. A couple contacted us and visited the rental, and we agreed orally, with a handshake, to lease to them. It was clear to everyone the deal was premised on the terms in the ad. Now, our tenants are leaving, and they claim that the pet and cleaning deposits should be refundable. The ad is archived, cannot be edited and plainly says they are not. If we do not return these deposits and our ex-tenants take us to court, will we win based on the ad's clarity?

Last year, Timothy Callahan got it coming and going. In April, he resigned as chief executive of Chicago-based Equity Office Properties Trust, receiving "separation pay" of $1.65 million, roughly equal to a year's salary and bonus, plus accelerated vesting of options and restricted shares. Then he was hired in August as CEO at another Chicago-based real estate investment trust, Trizec Properties Inc. Under his employment agreement, he received a fully vested grant of 1 million stock options, valued at nearly $4.9 million.

I agree with "A handshake disagreement" (Editorial, Oct. 30). Major League Baseball should adopt the handshake after games. My son has played Little League baseball for the last fours in Des Plaines and in Georgia. The Little Leaguers shake hands after every game. I think the big leaguers could learn something from the Little Leaguers.

Stress is expensive: Persistent stress has long been considered to be harmful to health. Now a new study indicates that the health costs of stress in the workplace may be more than anyone thought. A study of more than 46,000 employees at six large companies found that the costs linked to serious stress - workers reporting exposure to constant stress with no methods to cope - accounts for about 8 percent of the total health care expenditures of these companies, or about $24 billion annually.

You've got to hand it to William Chaplin. His psychology students at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa asked him if people can actually form lasting opinions about people's personalities through a simple handshake. He didn't know the answerexcept to guess yes--so Chaplin suggested his students design a research study about handshakes to find out. The proposed study, co-authored by Chaplin and four undergraduates, was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.